It didn’t take too long until Doctor Baker decided that it was alright for Pinkie Pie to check out of the hospital. They quickly left, Mrs. Cake departing the other two mares after a short way. She had to get back to Sugarcube Corner to help Mr. Cake, and she wanted to inform him of the things she had learned from Pinkie and Twilight. Now it was just Twilight, Spike and Pinkie, heading over to Rarity’s boutique to get them caught up on last night’s events.
“So do you think Zecora will know anything that can help us?” Spike asked.
“Zecora knows a lot about mysterious things and various folklore, I’m almost certain she’ll have at least some piece of advice she can offer. Pinkie, didn’t you mention that the large figure you encountered last night seemed oddly familiar?” Twilight said as she glanced towards the pink party pony.
Pinkie thought for a moment. “Yeah, it was familiar. It was too dark to see clearly, but I had felt like this thing was something I had encountered before. I also had a feeling that there was more than one of them following me. I only came across him as I got closer to Sugarcube Corner. I had heard something following me before I saw him.”
“How very strange indeed... If only I had found more clues yesterday, before getting knocked out. Do you remember where you may have come across a creature like this before? Any sort of large, lumbering, and threatening thing?”
“Off the top of my head? No, I can’t. But maybe as we discuss things with the others, things will make more sense.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they will.” Twilight agreed. And with that, the two mares picked up their pace. It wasn’t much farther to Carousel Boutique.
~~~
Once she had managed to calm down and wipe away her sudden tears, Rarity slowly dragged herself out of her bed. Like every morning, she trotted over to her mirror only to see that her mane was once again a disaster. Using her magic to grab hold of a brush, she brushed her mane straight again. She then applied the same to her tail, and set the brush down. She left her bedroom and trotted downstairs into the store part of her boutique. It seemed Fluttershy wasn’t awake yet. she glanced over at her wall clock. It was just after eight in the morning. A little late for Fluttershy to still be sleeping, but she had a long day yesterday. She needed the rest.
She then decided to go into her office and examine any outstanding orders she might need to get done. She had hoped it would take her mind off of things while she waited for Fluttershy to wake up. She quickly sifted through various documents, and found a few orders waiting to be taken care of. She only just now realized how cluttered and disorganized her office desk was.
“Heheh, organized chaos...” She said to herself quietly. “Oh, Sweetie Belle...” She had to get her mind off of things before she went insane. She exited her office and sat down at her sewing machine. Lifting her stylish red glasses and putting them on, she gathered fabric and thread and set herself to work.
She used one of her pony mannequins and began to design a pattern to use for a dress. She adjusted several pieces of fabric into place, trying to find something that she felt would be good. Her heart just wasn’t in it. She had too much on her mind to focus on her dressmaking. Deciding to give up, the pieces of fabric drifted to the floor as Rarity loosened her magical grip.
“Before I can get anything else done, I have to find Sweetie Belle. Those stuck up snobs in Canterlot will just have to wait until I decide to get these dresses finished.” She pushed all her tools and fabrics aside, and sat down to sift through everything her and the others had found out about her sister’s abductors.
Before she even had a chance to start thinking, there was a soft knock on the door. Feeling agitated, she got back up and trotted to the door. Her agitation vanished when she saw it was Twilight and Pinkie waiting on the other side of the door for them.
Rarity smiled slightly. Not much, but it was there. “I’m glad you two are here, I was getting quite stir crazy waiting for Fluttershy to wake up. Please come in.” She motioned them to enter. They did just that. Closing the door behind her, she looked to her friends. “Now, how may I help you this morning?” The white unicorn inquired.
“Well Rarity,” Twilight began, “We have something to tell you we believe you will most certainly like to hear.”
The fashionista’s ears perked up when she heard this. Had they found more clues? She wanted to know all the details. “Well go on now, don’t keep a lady waiting. Tell me everything.”
“Go ahead Pinkie.” Twilight turned to face the pink earth pony, Rarity following suit.
To begin, Pinkie turned to show Rarity the bandages on her flank. That earned a gasp from the unicorn. “Oh my Celestia Pinkie, are you alright?”
Pinkie giggled softly in response. “Of course I’m okay silly. But I should tell you, I was attacked last night on my way back to Sugarcube Corner. It was so super duper scary! I thought for sure I wasn’t going to make it! But I did, so now I’ll tell you what happened.
Rarity nodded attentively. That was Pinkie’s cue to begin.
“So last night I left shortly after you and Fluttershy left. I should have left with you guys, it was a horrible idea to be out alone at night. At first everything was fine, but after a bit I felt like I was being watched. Then I felt like I was being followed. And I was! I kinda started to panic, but I did my best to keep my cool. Whatever was following me started to move faster, so I did the same. and then faster, and faster, and faster until i couldn’t take it anymore! So I broke into a full gallop to get away from this monster! then there was something big in the road, almost twice the size of me! I tried to get around it, but it still grabbed me. That’s how I got hurt. So I bucked it right in the face and ran for dear life! I made it safely home, and went to the hospital in the morning. Now I’m here.”
Rarity’s mouth was hanging agape. She looked back and forth from both Twilight and Pinkie. She received a nod from the purple unicorn. “Do you think... Do you think those attackers were... Sweetie Belle’s abductors?”
Both the pink pony and the studious unicorn nodded. “And that’s not all,” Twilight added, “We also have more clues as to what took her.” She cleared her throat, and began to spill the new evidence. “Firstly, it was big, and oddly familiar to Pinkie. That would suggest that this very well may be something or things that we’ve all encountered before. Also, it could stand on two legs. It’s claws were what injured Pinkie. We have nearly a complete physical description of this, or these creatures. We’re so close to figuring this all out Rarity... I can almost taste it. I was thinking we could all go see Zecora soon, and see if she can tell us what it is we’re facing, so we can finally go and get your sister back.”
The white unicorn froze at this. To be reunited with her sister... She almost couldn’t bear the suspense and excitement of it. She wanted to go and see Zecora right away, but Fluttershy was still asleep. “I want to go see Zecora right now, but Fluttershy is still resting.” Rarity looked to her staircase. “I guess she’ll just have to deal with it, let’s go and rouse her from sleep.
~~~
Fluttershy was not happy one bit at being awoken by all her friends, but quickly changed her attitude when she heard of what occurred last night. Pinkie Pie getting attacked by monsters? It was so frightening to the timid pegasus. However she knew she had to be as brave as she could be to help get Sweetie Belle back. Twilight and the others wanted to go see Zecora and see if they can finalize all the clues and solve this mystery. She was hesitant at first, not wanting to travel into the Everfree Forest. But for Sweetie Belle’s sake--and Rarity’s--she would do it. They all shared a very quick breakfast together and then left the boutique on the road to Fluttershy’s cottage. They would enter the forest from there, and walk slowly along the dark path to Zecora’s hut.
The forest was very dark, and genuinely creepy. Just like when they entered to find the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters to defeat Nightmare Moon. Of course poor Fluttershy was scared out of her wits, but she had to stay strong. For Sweetie Belle’s sake. She really hoped they would finally get the answers they need. The longer it took to figure this mess out, the more of a chance that it was already too late to save Sweetie Belle. She chose to stick close to Rarity as they trudged cautiously through the strange forest. Rarity smile encouragingly to the timid pegasus, which helped a little. Everypony agreed to keep conversation to a minimal, as if they were too loud it might disturb some of the forest’s more... Unsettling creatures. Even Pinkie Pie agreed to this, and she very well may talk more than the three of them combined.
Twilight had been using a soft light spell that just lit the path directly within hoofs reach. “Alright everypony, we’re almost there. Just a bit further now.” Twilight whispered behind her, which earned a nod from the other ponies, and Spike of course.
Sure enough, shortly after Twilight had said that the path had broken into a small clearing, with the zebra’s home situated on the opposite side of them. The group of ponies plus a dragon approached the front door. It was finally time to get some hard answers, get a grip on this situation. The lavender unicorn lifted a hoof, preparing to knock on the door.
~~~
Zecora had spent most of the day gathering various flowers, herbs and the like to concoct her various potions with their various effects. Now that she was finished with that, and all of her alchemical ingredients organized, she was sitting on the floor meditating quietly. A few moments of silence passed. Then, she heard a knock on the door. Her concentration broken, she opened her eyes and stood up. She had already guess who was at the door, and she walked over and opened the door.
“Hello Twilight Sparkle, I sense you are all feeling quite distraught. Please come in, and tell me what has your minds so wrought.”
And so the four mares and the dragon entered the forest home of the zebra, and spun their tale.